Otis and Brandis

Lou has renamed the Hens.  Formerly Cinderella and Miss Lily, the Hens have been renamed Otis and Brandis.

These are certainly more apt names for these two birds.

I asked Lou how she came up with the names.  Oh, she just did.  So I asked her which hen was Otis.

Otis is the one who runs after me.

The Hens are both female, so like any poultry group missing a male, one female acts as the dominant one, taking over the role usually reserved for roosters.  Otis is, apparently, that hen.

Otis is slightly larger than Brandis.  And while Brandis likes nothing more than to relax in the dirt holes they've dug, Otis is constantly on alert.  Brandis looks like she's always warming the eggs she cares nothing about and lays only when she's up in the tree.  Yeah, they're not too smart.  The Hens patrol all day, taking frequent breaks for dirt baths.  Brandis lays down and snuggles into the dirt, kicking it up with her feet and wings.  Otis is down for a quick bath, but she's got things to do and a yard to oversee.  And she's constantly on the offense. 

Any noise will set Otis off.  She stands, alert, and honks in the direction of the offending noise.  Heaven help you if you try to get too close to HER hen, Brandis.  She's the one who scares off the smaller birds and she chases the dogs (and cats) away if they get too close while Brandis lounges.  She's also often running at the always offensive air conditioner.  Leave a ball in the yard?  Otis will run after it, wings up, looking as large as she can, until the wind finally blows it away.

So it makes sense that Lou thinks of Otis as the one who runs after her. 

Big, bad Otis.  Protector of the Hen Tribe.